One of the first things I did when arriving to Turkey is buy the chai teacups. These cute hourglass shaped glasses are used everywhere to serve chai tea at every breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. At any point in time this tea is ready to be served. The tea is one of the most alluring aspects of the dig site. Despite the tea being extremely hot and me, just finishing up wheelbarrow duty in the humid sun, the tea was a refreshing reprise from the work. I often felt like a sack of mush when I finally arrived home to the dig house after a long day of lugging large rocks, pickaxing piles of dirt, and removing roots. It’s only been a week since arriving and the living accommodations were something of a challenge to figure out. Nothing that my amazing roommates and I couldn’t handle though. Though I crossed the Atlantic along with many other Oles, I was not familiar with a lot of the group. It turned out that I’ve met some people I’ve really clicked with.
Besides how wonderful my week was with the fantastic food, rewarding labor, and beautiful views, I’ve learned so much and I am looking forward to starting the dig. Part of this excitement stems from the fact that the focus of our area is on analyzing an average city on the outskirts of the Roman empire. Apparently, these structures we’re studying also have history with being altered along the way. Hence, us having the work on taking down Turkish walls and other additional structures built apart from the original. I found that same kind of thing happening in the other historical sites we visited, including the Acropolis which took the breath right out of me with all the stairs it took to get to the top. I am amazed by the amount of older structures still standing here today and existing as a normal part of life here in Gazipasa. That is one major difference I’ve found that sets this beach town apart from my home in California, despite all of the similarities geographically.
By the end of this week, I am feeling extremely grateful to have been able to come here. I will never forget trying my first Turkish ice cream (chocolate and caramel) and watching the sun dip below the horizon while swimming in the salty sea.
Turkish ice cream is amazing.
